So I was a big fan of the first book...not so big a fan of the second book...so now here's the third installment of Kerri Maniscalco's four book series. Even though I wasn't as crazy about the second book as I would like to have been, I wasn't ready to just give up on the series. I still like the concept, the ideas are still really clever and I wanted to see what the next book would be like. Well, let's not waste any more time and dive into the review.
Audrey Rose Wadsworth is on her way home from Romania on the luxury liner, the RMS Etruria, with her uncle, caretaker, and beau Thomas Cresswell. On the week long journey across the sea, the ships patrons are entertained by the Midnight Carnival, a pack of amazing performers including an up-and-coming illusionist named Houdini. But the performances take a disturbing turn for the worst when several female passengers start dying terribly, all with some odd connection to the tarot, a theme deeply utilized by the Carnival. Audrey Rose must use her skills as a forensic investigator to use and catch the killer before they arrive at land and disappear forever.
So, there were some things in this book that worked really well. The claustrophobic atmosphere of the cruise ship with the growing sense of hysteria with each murder was certainly a good thing. I liked the concept of the carnival and the designs of the acts and their relations to tarot cards, that kind of stuff I just eat up. The set up of the acts was interesting...if maybe dwelled on a little too much. Now, The Night Circus did this from time to time too, and that book I really liked. The descriptions tend to go past just telling the audience what they're seeing and into "wouldn't this look great as a Tim Burton movie?!" kind of thing. Again, I love this kinda junk, so it didn't really bother me as it didn't bother me in The Night Circus. But that book had good characters and an investing story and this one...well...let's discuss.
I've said in my previous reviews for this series that I really do like Audrey Rose, but this time I didn't want to make excuses for her. Her behavior in this book is...well, dumb. It's dumb. She's apparently going through this existential crisis and wanting...I dunno, she says "freedom" but she's a forensic investigator in the late 1800s! You can't get more free than that! It's like she's considering running away and joining the circus is "real" freedom but OH WAIT no she doesn't because that's what her cousin is trying to do and she makes this backwards deal with some shady guy to get her out of it. Oh, so you can dishonor your family and throw away everything you've worked to achieve on a whim because some guy who you've known for less than a week said it might be cool but she can't because...reasons. Yeah, this conflict came right out of the butt-crack of nowhere and I didn't care for it one bit.
But most of my issues with this book could be summed up in one word: Mephistopheles!!! And it's a suiting name because he is the devil! Last time when I talked about Thomas's inappropriate flirting getting on my nerves? Well, they switched all that crap over to this new guy who I don't care for and hope never to see again. I could deal with it when it was Thomas because I've had three books with Thomas now and I'm used to it, but Beelzebub here is just some random Phantom rip-off who happens to be rich and not ugly and just exists to throw in a frigging love triangle that we neither want nor need! He's the reason for Audrey Rose's spur of the moment change of heart and "is what I've always wanted really what I want or do I not want it anymore because I know I can have what I want so I don't want it anymore" crisis, and I won't forgive him for that!
Okay, this one is a serious nitpick but I have to shout it out or it will weigh on my soul for freaking ever and I just need to put it out there. So, each act in the Carnival is inspired by a tarot card, yeah? Mr. Hunky Mephisto claims that he's The Magician while Houdini...freaking Houdini...the most famous magician of all time...a man whose name is synonymous with magic and illusion...doesn't get a card name because he's not really part of the show. No! NO, SATAN! He's The Magician and you're The Devil! There. Fixed it.
Also, if you're going to put Houdini in your title...USE HIM! Mostly he's nothing more than a plot device for the story. You could almost remove him from the story and replace him with some other random performer and you'd get the same affect. Poor use of you're Houdini, book. Nope. Didn't like it.
Final Verdict
I had a lot to complain about with this one but, overall, I wasn't disappointed or hated this book or anything. I just seriously disliked Lucifer the Pointless Love Triangle Extra and felt the title character was underused. But the mystery was compelling, the imagery was impressive, the atmosphere was good...I'd say, if you were interested, go ahead and read it...but wait for it on paperback.
Have you read the book? What did you think? Comment below and share your thoughts. Please make sure to Follow Midnight Readings for instant updates. Have a book you'd like me to read or would like to make a recommendation? Contact me on goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/65448711-michelle-beer
Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/Powerless-Shelley-Miller/dp/1543482546/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1519062043&sr=8-1&keywords=powerless+by+shelley+miller
Xlibris: https://www.xlibris.com/Bookstore/BookDetail.aspx?BookId=SKU-001175242
Next Time: Puzzles save the world from bad weather.....not kidding.
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